Vanessa Fang
"Freedom is the most sacred thing in this world, and I won't give up until everybody has the chance to find it" Vanessa Fang was a legendary hero of history, and is currently an Ascended creature of Shadowlight, known as the Lady of the Mists. She is also the captain of The Kraken, girlfriend of Emilio Ventura, and mother of Lucas Fang. Under the guise of "Viciente Fang", Vanessa unified the pirates of the Shattered Sea and built Isla Cobre into a haven for those who rebelled against the Calamaran Empire. Vanessa was accompanied by a fey companion named Starboard, and she was gifted with powerful abilities related to the Light. During the pursuit of Antonio Venceslas, Vanessa met Emilio Ventura, and he uncovered her secret identity. Much later, the two grew a fondness for one another. Vanessa accompanied Emilio Ventura and Kagami Nakamura on their journey to prevent the return of Ulgard Greenblood. When he entered the world again, she was the one to lay the killing blow upon him, with the legendary weapon Godsever. His dark power was transferred to her, but because she was already blessed by the light, the two balanced out and she became a creature of Shadowlight. In her new godlike position as the "Lady of the Mists", Vanessa guides those who die at sea to the Hall of Judgement, and takes on souls to work aboard her ship. She promotes followers among the downtrodden underdogs of the world, and encourages people to fight against tyranny. Background Early Life Vanessa was born on the small island of Isla Lumis, located in the Spiral Isles. The inhabitants of the isle were a mix of natives and Calamaran-descendents, living in harmony. These people had rejected Navicism and the worship of the Sea King, instead they revered a nameless, formless, protective goddess (possibly another form of Aysa or Liliaqura). In 19.98, the isle was punished for their behaviour; the Mardeus Goncalo considered it the height of heresy for former Calamarans to reject the Sea King, and sent a holy crusade to the isle. A Calamaran frigate carrying priests and Inquisitors raided the island, burning the village, slaying its residents, and enslaving many of the people who lived there. Vanessa's family were killed and she was taken. Vanessa was only 14 at this time, yet she was not treated any better than the other slaves. After some time being enslaved on the ship, she was sent to Mardeus Goncalo in Calavierus, to be his personal slave. Goncalo considered it his personal mission to convert the child to Navicism, and he tried to do this in many horrible ways, yet Vanessa's resolve remained unswerving. Even then, she was stubborn and resilient, despite how her captors tried to break her. It is perhaps best to gloss over the torment Vanessa received while a slave, as she was handed from master to master, and always back to Goncalo in his attempts to convert her. Several failed escape attempts caused her to lose an eye and a hand, but she would not be broken. A Turning Point In 20.2, when Vanessa was 18, the Light Gods took notice of her incredible willpower, and saw potential in her. She was never an incredible exemplar of virtue, nor a preacher, but she could be a weapon against the Dark. And so, one night, while Vanessa lay on the verge of unconsciousness in a dingy cell, having just been beaten for her insolence, she was visited by a vision of golden light, and saw a circle of faces gazing down upon her. When she awoke, her missing eye had been replaced by a glowing orb of light, which burned everything she looked at. Using this incredible new power, she was able to kill the guards and escape her cell. Immediately, she looked for her tormentor, Mardeus Goncalo himself. Burning her way through the church building she was being held in, she made her way to the rectory, and found him. Goncalo was surprised by her newfound power, but was by no means helpless, as he himself commanded great Dark power. The two fought, will against will, light versus dark. But in the end, Vanessa's years of pent-up fury won out against the weaker resolve of the priest, and she burned him to a crisp. Freedom At this point, Vanessa had what she had been looking for for years; freedom. She could go anywhere, do anything. Yet she was still at the heart of enemy territory, and her actions had not gone unnoticed. At this point, a dark purple-ish parrot flew into the church and spoke to her. It begged her to trust it, and tried to guide her to safety. It managed to convince Vanessa to not go on a murderous rampage through Calavierus, and instead take the more measured, long-term response. This parrot was, of course, the fey creature Starboard, sent by the Wandering Guardians in response to the actions of the Light gods. Starboard managed to guide Vanessa to escape the city as a stowaway on a merchant's ship, headed for Isla Cobre. On Isla Cobre, Vanessa found her purpose. At this point in time, the island was a smuggler's trading hub, and a sanctuary for all kinds of criminals, but was still quite small and held no power. Covering up her burning eye with a patch, and disguising herself as a boy, Vanessa took work on many different smugglers ships, and even a few pirates. Over the course of a few years, Vanessa learned everything there was to learn about sailing a ship, and paid attention to the captains she served under. Though she was already quite strong and agile, Starboard taught her how to fight properly with a sword. All the while, she plotted revenge against the Calamarans, and came up with a scheme. Viciente Fang In 20.6, Vanessa changed into Viciente, With a scarf over her face and stolen ship's officer's uniform. Starboard changed into human form, with similar clothing. Starboard then did most of the speaking for her, telling a fake tale of an excellent mate who served on pirate ships, named Viciente Fang. It wasn't too long before she was recruited to be Second Mate on the ship of the infamous pirate, Captain Salamanca. Salamanca was a bloodthirsty pirate who raided and plundered, but kept on the good side of the Calamarans by giving them all the slaves he captured. Vanessa hated him, but he was necessary to her plots. The ship was named The Krakensbane. After serving on Salamanca's ship for a year or so, 'Viciente' proved himself as a capable warrior, sailor, and commander. When the first mate died, Viciente was promoted to first mate of The Krakensbane. Over the next year, 'Viciente' slowly built up his reputation with the crew. Salamanca was a harsh taskmaster, whereas 'Viciente' was always supportive of the crew, yet still no less fearsome. After a particularly profitable raid, Starboard spoke against the captain's desires to keep most of the loot for himself. This gave 'Viciente' an opportunity to confront Salamanca, and challenge him. The verbal argument quickly rose to a physical fight, one that Vanessa was hard pressed to win. Salamanca was a legendary fighter, with lots of tricks up his sleeve, and Vanessa was forced to remove her eyepatch and unleash her light-gifted powers upon him. Salamanca soon lay burning on the deck, and Viciente Fang was proclaimed captain of the ship. His first act was to rename it from The Krakensbane to'' The Kraken.'' He proclaimed to the crew (through Starboard) that no longer would they bribe the Calamarans with gifts, they would instead fight tooth and claw against the tyrannical empire. The renaming of the ship to was symbolic, as it was a Kraken which first sunk Ulgard Greenblood's ship. And so, the reign of 'Viciente Fang' began, as he slowly took over Salamanca's fleet, and then absorbed more pirate ships into the Fang Fleet. He built up Isla Cobre into a haven for pirates, and fortified its defenses. Vanessa had to keep up the fearsome reputation in order to keep most of the pirates she controlled in check. She pretended that Viciente was a stern and merciless man, even though she did not engage in the acts of wanton violence that other pirates would have. She also pretended that Viciente was a tyrannical purloiner of slaves, by raiding Calamaran slaver ships and taking the slaves onto The Kraken. Secretly though, she would free the slaves and keep them in comfort. She would then take them to the Spiral Isles, and drop them off at the small villages there. By 20.15, 'Viciente' was the most powerful pirate in the Shattered Sea, a thorn in the side of the Calamaran Empire, and de facto leader of Isla Cobre. She was allied to the Svoldians, and the native islanders, and was plotting a wholesale attack on the Calamaran Empire, to destroy the tyrannical Theocracy. She could never have known that she would change the course of history by sinking a small, yet aggressive, ship named El Espiritu.